Friday, December 8, 2023

Picture Book Friday

How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? by Mac Barnett with illustrations by Jon Klassen.

Barnett tackles this mystery with ingenuity and humor as he proposes a series of scenarios. Head first? Feet first? Can Santa body morph—shrinking or stretching like taffy? And what if there is no chimney? Would a faucet do the trick? Or perhaps he can slide under the door or slip through the mail slot.

Once he’s inside—what about navigating in the dark and dealing with the family dog? There’s a wealth of creativity and fun here as we follow Santa through his holiday routine of leaving presents and enjoying snacks.

The narrative voice perfectly brings to mind the endless imaginings that children are capable of and sets the stage for some wonderfully inspired conversations with young readers.

In the end, Barnett concedes he really doesn’t know how Santa manages his extraordinary challenge. But that’s okay. What matters is that Santa finds a way.

Klassen’s illustrations are a perfect pairing with the text adding an extra level of understated absurdity to enrich every page. 

Ages 4-8. 

Highly recommended for home and school libraries. 

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